02 Apr 2014

Some Kgalagadi District councillors have expressed concern at deteriorating academic results and rampant school drop-out cases in their district.

Responding to the council chairman’s speech at a full council meeting, April 2, councilors aired their various concerns and opinions over the unsatisfactory results and the high number of school drop-outs at junior and senior secondary schools.

Councilor Elizabeth Ntwaetsile condemned parents who encouraged their children to bunk school and ultimately get de-registered. However, Ms Ntwaetsile who is a councilor for Kisa, Maralaleng and Omaweneno opined that shortage of food staff at schools may exacerbate the problem as some of the children came from families with high illiteracy rate and where no one could check their school work.

Councillor Bakaseno Motsamai concurred with Ms Ntwaetsile and accused some parents of negligence. He said school dropouts reflected badly on parents’ lack of discipline. Mr Motsamai who is a councilor for Boshoek said parents should participate towards towards improved results.

He suggested the district council should ensure teachers attitude towards work was beyond reproach. He said education officers had confirmed some teachers were too lazy to deliver.

Councilor Kemmonye Makatane of Kang North appealed to Batswana to find lasting solution low school grades. He argued the ministry of education should find the best means of educating learners using modern technology than waste time blaming social media and cellular phones for poor academic performance.

Cllr Makatane expressed worry at Matsha College's poor results, saying the school needed urgent intervention. “As I speak the school is dilapidated and inhabitable yet we expect better results from the school,” he said.

Tsabong Sub-Council Chairman Mr Samuel Brooks called on the government to recognise McCarthy’s Rust as so the village could have a fully-fledged school. He said children from McCarthy’s Rust who attended school in Tsabong were reportedly bunking school to go and stay with their parents.

McCarthy’s Rust Primary School takes classes only up to standard three. On the same village Cllr Brooks whose ward includes McCarthy’s Rust said, “We have failed the district and we are simply here to celebrate our failure,” He said this in connection with having 115 households in McCarthy’s Rust being declared squatters by Kgalagadi Land Board.

The councilors were responding to the council chairman, Mr Frans van der Weshuizen’s opening remarks where he said the performance in junior certificate was low.

The region achieved a 21 percent credit pass where 1105 learners sat for the examinations. In these results, Tapologo CJSS in Werda experienced the ‘greatest decline of about 14 percent.’Mr. van der Westhuizen complained about indiscipline among learners such as bullying, drug taking and vandalism. He said that the situation could exacerbate poor performance.

“During academic year of 2013, a total of 202 learners dropped from school,” Mr van der Westhuizen said and explained that of the 202 learners, 72 were from primary school, 93 from junior secondary schools and 37 from senior secondary schools. Chief among the reasons for dropping out is teenage pregnancy which, could also come with other risks such as HIV/AIDS. ends